NASA is the space agency run by the United States to oversee American space exploration, research and technology. NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was founded in 1958 as a civilian agency for U.S. space exploration. Prior to 1958, the agency's progenitor was known as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. NASA develops, builds and launches missions to study the Earth, moon and sun, as well as the entire solar system and beyond. The agency has its headquarters in Washington D.C., with major centers in Florida (the Kennedy Space Center for launches) and Houston (the Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut corps). Other centers are spread across the country for scientific research, test flights and spacecraft manufacturing. NASA's current chief is Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who is leading the agency's mission of returning astronauts to the moon and sending them on to Mars. See the latest NASA news.
Related Topics: Apollo Program, China Space Program, Incredible Space Tech, International Space Station, Interstellar Travel
Latest about NASA
NASA chief flies over Artemis 2 moon rocket | Space photo of the day for Feb. 5, 2025
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman took Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for a ride over the Artemis 2 launch pad recently.
On this day in space: Feb. 5, 1971: Apollo 14 lands on the moon
On Feb. 5, 1971, two Apollo 14 astronauts landed on the moon!
James Webb Space Telescope's view of 800,000 galaxies paints a detailed picture of dark matter
Astronomers used James Webb Space Telescope data to determine the density of the universe's most mysterious "stuff."
Watch dead neutron stars smash together in new NASA supercomputer simulation
"We studied the last several orbits before the merger, when the entwined magnetic fields undergo rapid and dramatic changes, and modeled potentially observable high-energy signals."
NASA satellite watches January's polar vortex | Space photo of the day for Feb. 4, 2026
A late January 2026 winter storm left more than snow and ice in its wake.
NASA had 3 years to fix fuel leaks on its Artemis moon rocket. Why are they still happening?
NASA stopped short of completing a critical fuel test for its Artemis 2 SLS rocket because of hydrogen leaks that sound a lot like the problems they had during Artemis 1.
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover completes its 1st drive planned by AI
"The fundamental elements of generative AI are showing a lot of promise in streamlining the pillars of autonomous navigation for off-planet driving."
NASA's Artemis 2 mission: Everything you need to know
Reference Artemis 2 is the second scheduled flight of the Artemis program and the first crewed Artemis mission that will send four astronauts around the moon.
